CLEVELAND — There's no question, there's something magical about the holidays. But, with all the added spending, events, and family time, it is also one of the most stressful times of year. On today's Mom Squad, Maureen Kyle talks to Dr. Adam Borland, a clinical psychologist with the Cleveland Clinic, about what triggers stress, making our blood boil and how to manage it.
“I think it's the expectations that we put on ourselves, and as you said earlier, this idea of kind of a Norman Rockwell image is likely not going to happen,” Borland said.
“You know that idea that I'm going to get the perfect present for someone, that there's going to be harmony the entire weekend. You know, a lot of times we are surrounded by people that we don't spend all that much time with during the year and then there's this expectation that when we get together, there's just going to be peace and harmony,” Borland added.
Family gatherings are the number one cause of stress this time of year.
Dr. Borland reminds us, we can't control other people, what they say and do, but we can manage how we react. He says when you're in these situations, pretend your life is a sitcom -- where would the laugh track be?
He has great advice on how to fit in self-care, what you can do "in the moment" to manage stress, and how to approach the holidays with a dose of reality. To see the entire conversation, all you do is go to our WKYC+ channel which you can find on Roku and Fire TV. You can also see the episode on your WKYC YouTube channel.
Editor's Note: The following video is from a previous, unrelated report.
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